"Capt.Mooron" wrote

"Bart Senior" .@. wrote

My point regarding electronic equipment aboard a wet, corrosive
environment is based on the time honoured tradition of belief in Murphy's
Law

And you would be right about that. Given a choice, I'd still
perfer to have things that work on-board instead of pulling
out the astrolabe.

thoughtful design--otherwise the stuff won't work. If you
install it yourself, your chances of being able to repair it
yourself are greater.

One cannot "repair" modern circuit technology if your mutli data bank
connected with the latest seatalk kacks on you mid trip.....

I've found most problems lay with sensors or wiring,
not PCB's. Perioding inspections, cleaning, and re-terminating
wire usually keep them working.

If you haven't fiqured that out long before glancing at your instrument
array... you are in dire straits when coastal sailing. I can tell you
within the hour how long a passage will take based on fixes updated and
plotted.... without the use of a nav array that would make a starship
captain blush with envy.

Ok. what about navigating tight passages, with numerous shoals
in fog? I've felt my way though difficult situtations with nothing
but a compass, depth sounder and my ears, taking when I heard
the birds get particularly loud. I'll gladly use a chart plotter hooked
up to WAAS GPS for this, with radar too, given a choice. For
one thing it is safer. For another, it is another skill to master and
something new is always interesting.

It's also worthwhile to learn new systems on the computer at
home before installing them in the boat. Radios, radar, and
some navigation and computer programs can be studied
and tested on shore, until the operator is 100% comfortable
using them, before installation in the boat. Trying to learn
how to operate a radio or something complicated while
underway is much more difficult than when standing still
without distractions.

You needn't learn underway... but you won't get past "theory 101" doing
navigation at home on a laptop.

It is true there is no substitute for experience. There are,
however, numberous cases where prior planning prevents
poor performance--the five P's.

How about figuring out how to program a strange radio?
Once I've mastered the operation of the radio over weeks
of playing with it at home, I can operate it by reflex when
mobile or maritime mobile. I've found it nearly impossible
to learn how to operate a new radio while driving or sailing.

I've also built and test custom wiring for different navigation
systems and made sure they worked before installing them in
the boat. It made it all a breeze when the time came to install
in the boat. I could then focus on refining how to use them.

I like being able to program my navigation software to
broadcast my course--when I'm off watch, I still have an
idea of what is going on with the other watch.